Raw Power-Packed Pumpkin Pie Buckwheat Breakfast, Creamy Chipotle Topping, Blueberry Peach Cobbler and This Week's Three Favorite Medical/Diet Links

Raw Pumpkin Pie Buckwheat Breakfast Pudding - Four Hours of Fullness

 

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This month just got even busier.

On Friday, the Lab Rat & I leave for the Farms2Forks Hudson, New York weekend at the Esselstyn Family Farm.  

Can't wait!  I plan to take careful notes, and plenty of pictures.   If you're going to be there, please find me, & say hello!

The next weekend we're headed to Chautauqua, New York for a relaxing weekend at our friends' 1950's lakeside cottage.  We're all long-time college friends (except for 2 johnny-come-lately's--just kidding M & R--from Go Blue U of M) who coincidently are all celebrating their 40th wedding anniversaries this year.  

It's so interesting that my always-present struggle for balance never seems to change.  Check out my Chautauqua visit post two years ago.   I guess I'm just a work in progress.

View from the Chautauqua Cottage

 

And then, on to a "much looked forward to" Labor Day Wedding Weekend in a charming college town. We're staying at the historic haunted inn.  Hope I get to see a ghost.

Lots of celebrating, schmoozing, dancing, and both the rehearsal dinner & wedding reception will have vegan options.  Amazing, huh?  My friends are the best!

 

Before the Recipes - Three Links I Don't Want You to Miss

 

 

The Unmentionable Link Between Belt Size, Belly Fat, and Sexual & Urinary Problems in Men Over 40

 

 

Hey, guys, this one's for you.

Take a careful look at the table--the one above, I mean--and what happens as belt size increases.

As a Man's Belt Size Increases, So Does His Risk of Sexual and Urinary Dysfunction.

After age 40, if your waist size is over 39.37 inches, bad things can start to happen.

Read the Press Release Here

The article was just published in BJU International 110(4):540-545, August 2012,  Lee, RJ et al "Central Obesiity as measured by waist circumference is predictive of severity of lower urinary tract symptoms"  Article abstract here

 

 

"As a man's waistline grows, so can his experience with sexual dysfunction and frequent urination, say researchers at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

'We have to think of the body in a much more holistic way. What we eat can have devastating consequences on more than just our hearts,' Dr. Kaplan says. 'Quality of life issues, such as sexual and voiding health, can be affected as well in drastic ways.'

The study, published in the August issue of the British Journal of Urology International (BJUI), is the first to comprehensively show that obesity in men affects not just their hearts and metabolism, but also their sexual and urinary health."

The GOOD NEWS: Additional findings conducted since this study was completed show that eliminating just 2.5 inches from the belly's circumference may lead to measurable improvement in sexual dysfunction and frequent urination, says Dr. Stephen Kaplan.

 

This really isn't hot-off-the-press news.  Click here & here for the old news.

 

One Skeptical Thirty-Something's Plant-Based Experiment

 

I posted this link on Facebook last week & it received an enthusiastic response.

Just in case you missed it....

My kids know JJ & his wife, so this success story has even more significance for me.

Here's a fit young man (around the age of my kids) who had been on statins (for very good reasons) since his twenties.

Now he's not.  

JJ's wife wrote last week:

"My husband has been plant-based (dietary vegan) for a year.

It started as an experiment to see whether eating this way would have a positive impact on his cholesterol.  He thought he could improve his lipids by increasing his running.  That strategy didn't work. 

He blogged about his experience today and I thought you might be interested in reading his story.

As a side-note, it has been eye opening for us to see how becoming plant-based has changed our view of the world in a positive way. We think more about our animals, our environment and our future. All great side effects that pharmaceuticals could never offer."

Don't miss JJ's brief, but motivating post here.

 

 

Dr. Gabe Mirkin Talks Type-2 DIabetes

So, What About about Type-2 Diabetics Who are Thin?

I'm a big fan of Dr. Gabe Mirkin's.  His weekly newletter is a must-read.   Mirkin has a wonderful way of making medical research & concepts easy to understand.

 

This week he did an excellent job of explaining  a very curious study published last week in JAMA that counter-intuitively found patients who were of normal weight at the time of their type-2 diabetes diagnosis (about 12% of those diagnosed) were at a greater risk of mortality, than those who were overweight or obese at time of diagnosis.  Hmm.  Curious, right?

Obesity Does Not Protect Diabetics

(From Dr. Gabe Mirkin's August 12, 2012 Newsletter)

"This week, a study showed that people who have normal weight at the time of their diagnosis of diabetes are twice as likely to die over the next 10 to 30 years as those who are overweight at the time of diagnosis (Journal of the American Medical Association. August 8, 2012).

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT OBESITY PROTECTS DIABETICS FROM DEATH. It means that if you are thin when you develop diabetes, you have a type of diabetes that is more likely to kill you.

THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF DIABETES:

• Type II diabetes is most commonly caused by inability of your cells to respond to insulin. When blood sugar levels rise too high, your pancreas releases large amounts of insulin. Insulin then attaches on insulin receptors, special hooks on the outer membranes of cells. Then it drives sugar into cells.
• ANYTHING THAT PREVENTS INSULIN FROM ATTACHING TO ITS RECEPTORS CAN CAUSE DIABETES.
• If insulin cannot attach to its receptors, it cannot drive sugar into cells. This causes blood sugar levels to rise too high, and sugar attaches to the outer membranes of cells. Sugar attached to cell membranes is eventually converted to sorbitol which destroys the cells. This cell destruction is what causes all of the known side effects of diabetes.
• FULL FAT CELLS BLOCK INSULIN RECEPTORS. Fat inside cells prevents insulin from attaching to its receptors, so having extra fat in your body causes diabetes.

STORING FAT PRIMARILY IN YOUR BELLY IS A SIGN OF DIABETES

• Insulin causes fat to be stored in the belly, so almost all people with big bellies and small buttocks have high insulin levels because their cells cannot respond to insulin, and the pancreas responds by producing excessive amounts of insulin.
• Most people who store a lot of fat in their bellies and have small buttocks already have diabetes or are pre-diabetic.

LACK OF MUSCLES CAN CAUSE DIABETES

• Muscles help to prevent blood sugar levels from rising too high and damaging the cells in your body. Resting muscles are inactive and draw no sugar from the bloodstream. On the other hand, contracting muscles actively remove sugar from the bloodstream and don't even need insulin to do this.

WHY ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE FAT WHEN THEY ARE DIAGNOSED EASY TO CURE?

• Virtually all people who are fat when they develop diabetes can cure their diabetes by losing weight.
• When they empty their muscle, liver and fat cells of fat, these cells can once again respond to insulin. Blood sugar levels drop and the person is no longer diabetic.

WHY ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT FAT WHEN THEY ARE DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES MORE DIFFICULT TO CURE?

• More than 90 percent of diabetics are overweight. Thin people who develop diabetes do not have full fat cells.
• They are diabetic because their pancreas does not make enough insulin. We have drugs to make the pancreas put out more insulin, but we do not have drugs to permanently make the pancreas produce normal amounts of insulin.
• Their muscles are so small that they do not remove sugar from the bloodstream adequately.
• Lifting weights would help, but growing large muscles is beyond the motivation of most people with small muscles. It takes a lot of consistent painful resistance exercise to grow larger muscles.
• They may have other hormone abnormalities that are far more difficult to treat.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU ARE DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES, STORE FAT PRIMARILY IN YOUR BELLY, HAVE A VERY SMALL BUTTOCKS, HAVE A FASTING BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL ABOVE 100, OR HAVE AN HBA1C ABOVE 5.7?

• Immediately try to lose fat by eating less and exercising more
• Start a supervised exercise program and try to exercise every day
• Start a supervised weight lifting program to grow larger muscles
• Avoid all sugared drinks except when you exercise
• Avoid all sugar-added foods
• Avoid red meat (saturated fat from animals blocks insulin receptors)
• Eat large amounts of vegetables and fruits 
• Get your blood levels of hydroxy-vitamin D above 75 nmol/L"

 

Let the Recipes Begin

 

I promised to share these three recent recipes that I love, today, while I have a little free time!

So, dear readers, here you go.

I may not have much time to post anything until after Labor Day, so it's now or never.

 

• Raw Power-Packed Pumpkin Pie Buckwheat Breakfast Pudding.  This one is a no-maple-syrup riff off of "Oh She Glows"  Carrot Cake Buckwheat Porridge, which is fabulous, BTW!   Angela is an amazing recipe developer, & I never would have considering eating raw buckwheat for breakfast if not for her.  Oh She Glows, Rocks!!
• Creamy Chipotle Sauce/Dressing - Two versions.  A cashew more caloric/fat version & a creamy chia low-fat version.  The credit for this one goes to Son #1.  It's his creation.
• No-Sugar No-Fat Blueberry Peach Oat Cobbler.  Just my tiny tweaks to Cathy Fisher's AMAZING Straight Up Food Recipe.  Thank you, Cathy!  

 

 Power-Packed Raw Pumpkin Buckwheat Breakfast Pudding

 

Buckwheat Breakfast Bliss Made in a Blender - Enough for Five Days

 

What Raw Buckwheat Groats Look Like After an Overnight Soaking

 

Looking for a change to your breakfast routine?

Want to expand beyond everyday oatmeal?  

Not that there's anything wrong with oatmeal.

Give raw buckwheat groats a try.

This is so easy to make, loaded with nutrition & taste, and this recipe makes enough to last for five days.

Buckwheat is the highest source of protein in the plant kingdom, with 50% more B-vitamins than wheat. And it's gluten-free.

Did I mention that it's high in lysine--an important "not-so-easy-to-get" amino acid---and it's high in that "hard-to-find" soluble fiber that slows down digestion, which is helpful for keeping blood sugar levels stable.  A plus for diabetics.

It's so satisfying, & I'll vouch for the claim that buckwheat is a slow-release carb. This breakfast keeps me full for four hours.  Really.

Gas-free (unlike steel-cut oats), too!  A definite plus.  Maybe it's because of the soaking.  

What's the big deal about buckwheat?   For starters, it's not really a cereal grain, but a seed, related to rhubarb & sorrel.  It's rich in flavanoids, like the antioxidant, rutin, loads of B Vitamins, sky-high in magnesium, potassium, & phosphorus, & it helps to lower glucose levels.

Read everything you'd ever want to know about buckwheat here and here, in case I missed anything.

As if that's not enough--the pumpkin in this pudding gives you a mega-high dose of beta-carotene, along with chia for an antioxidant & omega-3 booster shot.

Definitely, one delicious, power-packed breakfast.

Just one serving of my pumpkin buckwheat pudding will give you over 180% of your daily requirement for vitamin A, in the form of alpha and beta carotene.  Pumpkin, and other deep orange winter squashes are about as good as it gets in the carotene department.

Need a powerful incentive to load up daily on alpha-carotene?  Check out this article in the November 22, 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, "Serum Alpha-Carotene Concentrations and Risk of Death Among US Adults"

"[O]ur findings, based on data from a large representative sample of US adults, showed that serum alpha-carotene concentrations were inversely associated with the risk of death from all causes, and death from cardiovascular diseases and cancer.  These findings support increasing fruit and vegetable consumption as a means of preventing premature death."

 

For a copy of the recipe on one page, click here.

Servings:  5 one cup servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of raw buckwheat groats  (available from Nuts.com or Bob's Red Mill or your health food store)  Not the same as toasted buckwheat or Kasha   Note: soak overnight in 4 to 5 cups of water, or for 1 hour, minimum.
• 1-1/4 cup of non-dairy milk.  I prefer Eden Extra Plain Soymilk because of its protein, vitamin, & mineral content
• 3 tablespoons of chia seeds
• 1 ripe (speckled) banana
• 2-3 pitted dates  (can add 1-2 packets of stevia if you want a sweeter pudding)
• 1-15 ounce can of 100% Pumpkin (like Libby's)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• raisins & toasted walnuts to sprinkle on top of individual servings.

 

Preparation:

1.  Add the raw groats to large bowl, & soak in 4-5 cups of water.  I let them soak overnight, but they need to soak for 1 hour, minimum.  Overnight soaking is easy.

2.  After soaking, rinse well a couple of times to remove the gelatinous coating.  

3.  The original 2 cups of soaked groats expand to 4 cups.  Reserve 1 cup to add back to the final pudding at the end.

4.  Add the rinsed groats, minus the reserved cup, the "milk", the chia, the pumpkin, the banana, the dates, the vanilla, the cinnamon, and the nutmeg to a blender or processor. I use a VitaMix.  Blend well.

5.  Taste, add a little stevia is you want a sweeter taste.

6.  Pour everything into a large bowl, then mix in the reserved cup of whole groats.  This gives it a nice nutty crunchy taste & texture without the calories of nuts.

7.  Garnish 1 cup servings with a few raisins & toasted walnuts.

8.  Refrigerate the leftovers & enjoy 5 days of buckwheat breakfast pudding.

 

The nutriton info is based on a one-cup serving

Check out the protein, fiber, iron, & vitamin A content.  Oh, baby!

Nutrition Facts The Healthy Librarian's Pumpkin Pie Raw Buckwheat Pudding
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	366
Total Fat	5.1g
Saturated Fat	0.3g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	29mg
Carbohydrate	73.9g
Dietary Fiber	13.6g
Sugars	14.8g
Protein	14.7g
Vitamin A 188% Vitamin C 5% Calcium    7% Iron 15%

 

 

"Knock Your Socks Off" Creamy Chipotle Topping - Two Ways - Creamy Cashew or Creamy "Nut-Free" Chia

 

 

 Creamy Chipotle Topping Made with 1/2 Cup of Cashews

Chipotle Topping Face-Off: Creamy Chia Chipotle Topping on the Bottom, Creamy Cashew Chipotle on the Top

 Creamy Chia Chipotle on the Left - Creamy Cashew Chipotle on the Right

 

 The Secret Ingredients to Creamy Chipotle Chia Topping - Blends in a Flash

 

To get the chipotle topping recipes on one page, click here. 

We set up a fabulous taco bar one night during our family beach vacation in July.

Son #1 put me in charge of whipping up a creamy chipotle dressing.  I followed his directions & used his made-up-in-his-head-off-the-cuff recipe.  He makes this a lot in his own home.

Trust me, this topping can make a mediocre dish into a spectacular one.

Use it as a topping for tacos, enchiladas, burgers, or salads.

I brought it into work for a taste test, & everyone went wild over it.  Swooned.  Wanted the recipe.  It's so yummy.

Here's Son #1's very simple recipe: 

Creamy Chipotle Cashew Topping

Serves 8 - 1 tablespoon servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of raw cashews soaked in 1/2 cup of water for at least an hour.  Longer is fine.
• 3-4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 coarsely chopped garlic cloves, less to taste
• 1/2 to 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.  Sizes vary, so go slowly--you can always add more
• a few grains of coarse sea salt to taste

Preparation:

1.  Soak the raw cashews for at least one hour in 1/2 cup of water

2.  Into a power blender (VitaMix works best) add the cashews AND the soaking water, the garlic, the lime juice, & the chipotle.

3.  Blend well until the cashews are a creamy, silky consistency.  Check for taste.  Add more chipotle, if you like.

4.  Add a few grains of salt to taste.

 

Nutrition Facts for a 1 tablespoon serving

Nutrition Facts The Healthy Librarian's Creamy Chipotle Cashew Topping Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 46 Total Fat 3.3g       Saturated Fat 0.8g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 18mg Carbohydrate 3.1g       Dietary Fiber 0.4g       Sugars 0.6g Protein 1.3g Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 4% Calcium    1% Iron 2%

 

Creamy Chipotle Chia (no-nut) Topping

OK.  I know a lot of you don't eat nuts, especially not cashews.

I figured I could come up with a close substitute for the cashew dressing with soymilk & chia.

It's quite good, and very close to the taste of the cashew topping.  It works.  But, I've got to be honest.

If I had to choose between the two, the cashew dressing would take the gold medal in this contest.

BTW, the secret ingredient to the chia topping is a teaspoon of agave.  Turns out, cashews have a natural sweetness that is missing in the chia version.  Agave came to the rescue.

 

Serves 8 - 1 tablespoon servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of Eden Extra Plain Soymilk (richer than other non-dairy milks)
• 3  tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 coarsely chopped garlic cloves, less to taste
• 1/2 to 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.  Sizes vary, so go slow--you can always add more
• 3 tablespoons of white chia (I like the Salba brand)
• 1 teaspoon of agave (more to taste, if needed)
• a few grains of coarse sea salt

Preparation:

1.  Add all the ingredients into a power blender (I use a VitaMix), adding the chia seed just before you're ready to turn the blender on.

2.  Blend well, until the consistency is smooth & silky.

3.  Taste, & add extra chipotle, salt, or agave to your own taste.

 

Nutrition Facts for a 1 tablespoon serving - Less fat & calories than the cashew version

Nutrition Facts Healthy Librarian's Creamy Chipotle Chia Topping Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 26 Total Fat 1g       Saturated Fat 0.1g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 7mg Carbohydrate 3.2g       Dietary Fiber 0.8g       Sugars 1.2g Protein 1.2g Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 4% Calcium    1% Iron 1%

 

 

 

 My Successful Second Try at Straight-Up Foods Cobbler

Blueberry Peach Oatmeal Cobbler

 

 

 

 My Second Attempt at Cathy's Cobbler was a Big Success

 

 Blueberry Peach Cobbler Goes to Work for a Taste Taste and It's a Big Success!

My First Attempt with Oat Flour & Blackberries - Not Bad, But Not Great

 

I love this recipe.

I love Cathy Fisher's Straight Up Foods Blog.

But, my first attempt at the recipe was a disappointment.  Just look at the difference from Try #1 to Try #2.  

What did I do wrong?

Mistake #1:  Well, I took the lazy girl's way out & used oat flour instead of grinding my own in my food processor.  

Big mistake.  The processor grind was coarser, a much better texture for the cobbler.  I also, used a little less of the "home-ground" flour in the topping, & added back in some rolled oats for some more texture.

Mistake #2:  I should have used the date soaking water, instead of plain water in the "fruit sauce".  It made it sweeter.

Mistake #3:  Now this one's personal preference, but I now know that I'm not a fan of allspice in cobblers. I'm more of a cinnamon & nutmeg girl!

Mistake #4:  The blackberries around here are sour & not very good-tasting. And they're super expensive! On my second go-round I used sweet frozen blueberries, & I upped the amount of peaches to 2 cups.  I also made darn sure that the peaches were nice & sweet & ripe.

Big difference!!

I brought samples to work for taste-tasting.  Gotta check it out with the experts, first.  The reviews were excellent. 

"Does this really not have any sugar or butter in it?  It tastes just like the one I make with butter & sugar."

"Not too sweet--just right."

They gobbled everything up & returned the empty container to me.

This is an awesome template for any fruit cobbler.  Apple, Cherry, Blueberry or Plum.  Thank you, Cathy!

 

This is adapted from Cathy Fisher's original recipe:

 

Blueberry Peach Oat Cobbler

Serves  8

For a copy of the recipe on one page, click here.

Cook's Notes:  Read through the entire recipe before getting started!  It seems kind of fussy, but, it's really  very easy.  It helps to read it through, first.  And it's even easier the second time around.

 

Fruit Ingredients:

2 cups of pitted & sliced ripe, sweet, fresh peaches  (could be 2-4 peaches depending upon the size)

2 cups of sweet blueberries (I used frozen)

 

Fruit sauce ingredients:

3 plump medjool dates, pitted, chopped & soaked in enough water to cover, for about 30 minutes.  Reserve the soaking water when you drain the dates.

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup of reserved date soaking water (Note: you can supplement with the date soaking water from the topping)

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 cup of "oat flour" made from processing rolled oats

 

Topping ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of "oat flour" made from processing rolled oats  (NOTE: process about 2 cups of rolled oats in your food processor all at one time--and measure out what you need.  Don't overprocess.  You want it a little coarse. You'll have enough for 1/4 cup for the "fruit sauce" & 1-1/2 cups for the topping)

1/2 large ripe (speckled) banana, sliced

3 plump medjool dates, pitted, chopped, and soaked in water to cover for about 30 minutes.  (NOTE: you can add this reserved "date water", if needed, to make up the 1/2 cup in the "fruit sauce"

1/2 cup of non-dairy milk (I prefer soymilk for cooking--it's richer)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Preparation:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Using 2 different small bowls or cups, soak the 3 dates needed for the "fruit sauce", separately from the 3 dates needed for the topping.   Soak for about 30 minutes.  Drain, but reserve the sweet soaking water.  You'll need 1/2 cup of it for the "fruit sauce"

3.  Place the peaches & blueberries in a big bowl & set aside.

4.  Make your fruit sauce.  Blend the dates, the lemon juice, the 1/2 cup of date soaking water, the cinnamon, & oat flour into a blender & blend until smooth.

5.  Pour the "sauce" into the bowl of fruit & mix well to coat evenly.

6.  Place the saucy fruit into a large pie pan or 9 X 9 inch square pan

7.  Make your topping.  Into a blender, add the banana, drained dates, non-dairy milk & blend until smooth.  

8.  Pour into a medium bowl.  Measure out 1-1/2 cups of the "home-processed" oat flour--& then spoon out about 2 tablespoons of it.  Replace that with 2 tablespoons of rolled oats, for a coarser texture to the topping.  Add the oats to the bowl of wet topping ingredients.  

9.  Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, & vanilla.  Mix with a fork until "the texture is somewhere between dough & batter"--fairly thick.

10.  Spread the topping over the fruit evenly, or in big spoonfuls, with fruit peeking through.  Your choice.

11.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned--and no longer wet.  Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

 

Happy August!

Enjoy the Summer Why It Lasts

Comments

[Dawn]

Thanks again for a great post. I appreciated hearing that you too are a work in progress. It seems I battle, am overcome, and vanquish my toughest issues in a wavelike form. Sometimes I am the victor and sometimes not. But hey at least I keep trying to take better care of myself.
Enjoy your time at the lake and unplug yourself again for a bit to really relax.
I have buckwheat groats soaking for an attempt on this recipe. Yay!

[Lisa]

Happy August to you too!
The cobbler recipe sounds yummy.
It's fresh peach season here in Israel and this is a great way to eat even more peaches.
A couple questions here.
Have you come across any information about wheat being bad for human consumption? That the wheat we eat these days is different from ancient wheat and therefore causes "wheat belly" and dietary problems.
I love your Nutrition Facts that you produce for the recipes. How do you do that? What tool do you use? I'd like to be able to figure out the nutritional information of some of the recipes I've hacked to make a healthier version.
Thanks, Lisa

[Carol]

Debby, I love the idea of the buckwheat pudding, but I just tried it, and thought it was going to kill my Vita-mix! The mixture was so thick that after awhile I actually thought I was smelling burning out motor, so I stopped and declared it done. I did it exactly as written, except that I didn't have the banana, and when the machine seemed to be struggling, I added a cup of water to thin it. Have I missed something? It's pretty tasty, anyway, even without the banana. I wonder if a food processor would actually handle the thickness better, though I suppose it wouldn't be as creamy. The reserved groats are a genius move - it really seems like you're getting nuts, but without the fat. I wonder if those could be used in other recipes just for the crunch.....

[The Healthy Librarian]

Yikes, Carol,

That wasn't my experience at all. Sorry for that. Did you add 1 1/4 cups of milk to the mixture? My VitaMix didn't have a problem with the mixing at all. Did it on high-speed.

I did measure the amount of groats--after they were soaked overnight, and it came to 4 cups. Only 3 cups goes into the VitaMix. Also, it's just 1-15 ounce can of plain pumpkin.

I think you could definitely make this in a food processor. You wouldn't want to damage your VitaMix. I've heard from other people who have made this & no one mention that they had a problem with their VitaMixes. So sorry.

[The Healthy Librarian]

Hi Lisa,

I've read that the common variety of wheat--commercially grown in the U.S.--is one that is much higher in gluten then it had been in the past--it's hardier, disease/drought-resistant & has a longer shelf life once it's ground. Wheat, isn't the most nutritious of the grains. There are plenty of other varieties from which to choose. I can get a bread made of heirloom wheat. That said, I don't eat many foods with flour--breads & buns I eat are usually made from flour-less sprouted mixed grains. Gluten doesn't disagree with me--and I eat seitan which is made with wheat gluten.

As for the nutritional facts software I use--I wish it included more vitamins, minerals, & omega-3's & omega-6's---but, I still like it. It's http://myfooddiary.com

[Lisa]

Hi Debby,
Thanks so much for the link to MYFoodDiary. This will come in handy when I'm sharing recipes with friends and they seem skeptical about the nutrition in these "proteinless" recipes.

Thanks also for the info about wheat, I'll have to start expanding my grain horizons. I'm already doing more with quinoa as a base for toppings and I just tried Dr Fuhrman's banana&oat bars - wonderful and wheat-free. We're big fans of brown rice too, this Friday night dinner is the Esselstyn lentil dahl with brown rice.

[Jeanne]

What is the chipotle topping on? Whatever it is it looks so good, could you make a short list.
I think cilantro, avocados, green onion, and potato?? Then I don't have a clue.

[Healthy Librarian]

@Jeanne: The topping is on VegNews Black Bean Quinoa Enchiladas. I just made a new version of this last need & used potatoes instead of the quinoa. Yum. Here's the VegNews recipe (not my version): http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=4592&catId=11